producers: dj spinna, lee stone, beyond there.

guests: brassmonk, punch, words, erldotcom, el fudge, invincible, shabaam sahdeeq.

This Mr. Complex release gives us the first official album by the Mr. Because his "The Complex Catalog", on his own Core Records, has been more an anthology, than a regular album, while this one here only features few previously available tracks, focusing on giving the listeners some freshly born babies.

The lengthy intro of "Definition Of Complex" opens with Complex addressing his name, and then busting some dance steps, what comes across funny though, with the crowd in attendance being responsible for much of the comic relief. The music then starts with "Bomb Threats", where he's saying: "the name gets attention like bomb threats", with then further claiming "my name alone will tell you I'm lyrically advanced", filling the track with more battling verses, aiming for the punchlines, and putting them over this relaxed beat. The beat gets better then on "Desire" (feat. Brassmonk), as we get some more floating vibe out of this. Lyrically we are staying within similar waters, with his words flowing with the playful stream. After the two chances to lounge, we are tempted to get up, as "Everybody Everywhere" is featuring enough boom bap to keep the body in motion, just as the mic is moved back and forth between the host of people on here, with Punch, Words, Erldotcom, El Fudge and Invincible, adding their parts to this anecdote rhyme.

"Underground Up" then progressing jazzy, with a guitar lick being combined with a cool drum, making this easy to succeed. Especially as Complex does what we know that he's capable of, him doing some straight spitting, making the battling verses approach the pace of the piece, and the punchlines being fired in high frequency in the correct direction. We are then treated to another spoken entity, as "Do You Kno My Mans And 'Em", where just like in the Intro, Complex shows his comedic talent, with the descriptions of people boiling to the point, where once they are talking about this 'ill, sick rhymer', it's beyond doubt who was meant by this. The next track "Rhapsody" is held back by a rather loud beat, but it's saved by dope lyrics, with Complex using a thousand and more names of fellow artists as landmarks on his sightseeing tour, as he's positioning people on 'Dr. Dre East' and 'Dr. Dre West', or pointing out the 'EPMD hospital'.

The next interlude appears already with "Put Your Head By The Speaker", where some thug gets the tinitus treatment. Moving on we get "The Day Your Ass Got Ignited", that's giving us more of the combination of a backpacker beat, with Complex' wordplay. Scratching then opens "People Don't Kno", a track that then also builds slower, with the bass remaining prominent. The beat on "Make Sure That It Counts" is sounding more to our liking though, as it progresses somewhat bluesy. Complex' voice gets rather buried in the track though, what has us mention this as an unfortunate final mix. But the track itself is dope enough to have us overlook this minor lapse, also because 'plex is talking about the beat and the rhymes being like two fists. And we all know that you need the left hook as much as the straight right to knock the opponent out. "Stupid Dope Fresh" (feat. Erldotcom) is once more featuring a better beat, as the piano sounds, the little details that are happening, make this more exciting than the solid boom bap.

Two Polyrhythm Addicts team up on "Accumulation", as Shabaam Sahdeeq is dropping by, to do some tag team rhyming, him helping out with the reflective verses, that are thinkingly addressing topics and questions, over a rather restrained beat. Tracks that reached our ears a while ago come on next, as both "I'ma Kill It" and "Divine Intervention" were previously released. "I'ma Kill It" hasn't lost anything of it's appeal in the mean time though, while "Divine Intervention" teams 'plex up with an untypical layered track, that he uses to spit a tale. And finally, there's "Stabbin You (Live From Belgium March 4, 2001)", with "Stabbin' You" only being part of the track though, as we are getting an alternative ending, so to say, it going into "Do It Up".

Mr Complex is a household name in the field of rapping, not only due to the enormous discography. At the same time has his generation, that originated much of the styles and possibilities in this 'underground' level, lost some of it's initial thrill. And so with this album, we are getting a release that's pure Complex, full of what we could expect and were looking for. But that's maybe the biggest let down too, as it struggles to be more.